Sensible accounting for social agencies;

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2 HASKINS & SELLS January
Sensible Accounting for Social Agencies
BY JOHN RAYMOND WILDMAN
(Substance of an address before the General Council of The National Information Bureau,
Inc., Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York, December 10, 1921.)
ACCOUNTING for social agencies,
or similar organizations, which is
sensible and satisfactory must meet the
test of four typical individuals: the con­tributor,
the social worker, the agency
accountant, and the auditor. Each has
his point of view.
There are few agencies the activities
of which may be carried on without funds.
The agency makes its appeal on the
strength of need and implies that the funds
will be used honestly, wisely, economically,
and efficiently. Any accounting to be
satisfactory to the contributor must be
convincing in these three respects.
The social worker is chiefly concerned
with achievement. The planning and car­rying
out of the work must receive the
bulk of the attention. The social worker
is a steward and is accountable for the
funds which make possible his accomplish­ment;
but such accountability must not
take precedence over the work. Hence,
accounting which has the approval of the
social worker must be simple and non-laborious.
The function of the accountant is to
provide the system and prescribe the
method whereby the record is made of
funds received, disbursed, or applied, in
accordance with the desires or understand­ing
of contributors and to prepare financial
statements which will clearly and con­vincingly
establish the fact that the funds
have been administered honestly, eco­nomically
and efficiently. Therefore, any
accounting which stands the test from the
accountant's point of view must be sys-